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PROGRAMS
The Women’s Center at the Alexandria Campus opened its doors on September 17, 2008. In this climate of budgetary constraints, the Women’s Center is fully functional, staffed by volunteer faculty and staff. The Center began as a sub-committee of the Alexandria Campus Council, and is currently run by an Advisory Committee composed of thirty faculty, staff, administrators, and students. Beth Harrison and Pat Gordon are the co-chairs of the Advisory Committee. Its mission is threefold: to provide resources for those student who need academic support (including raising money for scholarships, and an emergency fund to help keep students in school) and to provide courses on issues of concern to women; to provide information and referrals for those who need counseling or shelter, which we do not provide; to provide ongoing community-building among the women at the college and to offer workshops and programs in various life-skills (parenting, getting a job, making a budget, relationship skills, health and wellness).
Pat Gordon, Denise Philpott (student), Connie Elsberg, Nancy Gleeson, and Beth Harrison
(Photo by Kevin Mattingly, College Photographer)
Campus needs assessments and focus group discussions were conducted last spring, and in early summer visits were made to other women’s centers around the state. Space for the center was found by Jonathan Gueverra, Provost, furnishings were donated by committee members, and six boxes of books were donated by George Mason’s Women and Gender Studies Center to serve as the foundation for the library. During the summer, referral files were researched and early this fall, faculty and staff volunteers were trained in listening and referral skills by Pat Lunt. The Women’s Center is currently offering a one-credit interdisciplinary course called “Women’s Voices”, taught by seven faculty volunteers over an eight-week period. In the spring semester, the Women’s Center will host seven credit-hours of courses – Women in Literature (taught by Heidi Moore and Dianne Daily), Sociology of Gender (taught by Connie Elsberg), and another eight-week session of Women’s Voices (convened by Beth Harrison).
A number of on-going weekly activities are scheduled in the Women’s Center, to foster community and self-expression. “Get Creative!!” is a multi-media expression of students’ hopes and aspirations (the brainstorm of ESL student Forouzan Grigsby); instruction in crochet scarf making for the Special Olympics (offered by Jane Madden); Scrapbooking offered (by Kristy Balbuena) in November; Dreamworks, the exploration of dreams in a group context, offered for six weeks in October and November (by Beth Harrison), and Movie Night, beginning with “Whale Rider” on October 23 (discussion led by Dianne Daily). Aside from the ongoing community-building activities, the Women’s Center will offer workshops in financial management, dressing for success (with field trip to neighboring thrift shops), interview skills, women’s health, parenting, and other issues of concern to women. A Virtual Clothes Closet is being developed to help those students who do not have suitable attire for job interviews.
If you would like to volunteer time, or contribute to this effort, please email either Pat Gordon(pgordon@nvcc.edu) or Beth Harrison (eharrison@nvcc.edu). The Women’s Center could use art supplies, such as yarn, crochet and knitting needles, and other craft items, as well as book donations. Fundraising activities will be conducted during the spring semester to create scholarships for women and an emergency fund for students, and all donations would be appreciated. If our faculty and staff across the college have ideas for workshops or programs and an interest in assisting in their development, we would love to talk to you.
We are very excited about the Women’s Center. We invite you to come by and see for yourself what can be done with little more than vision and passion. Come be a part of it!
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